THE MALTESE E-NEWSLETTER 171 June 2017 1 THE MALTESE E-NEWSLETTER 171 June 2017 MEET THE NEW MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE PROMOTION THE HON CARMELO ABELA MP Carmelo Abela (born 10 February 1972) is a Maltese politician and is serving as an incumbent Labour MP and as the Minister for Home Affairs and National Security. He also served as the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of Malta.[1] On June 8, 2017, he was elected Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion.] Carmelo Abela was born on 10 February 1972 in Malta. He won his first general election in 1996, when he was named to the 8th Parliament of Malta.[1] He has since won all the following parliamentary elections, in 1998, 2003, 2008, and 2013. He was elected Deputy Speaker of the Tenth Parliament on March 6, 2003, and re-appointed on October 5, 2008, resigning as speaker on July 5, 2010.[1] He has served as Government Whip in the Malta Legislature.[1] In December 2014, he became Minister for Home Affairs and National Security. [1] As Home Affairs Minister, in January 2017 he stated that the government had “no plans” to extend Maltese citizenship to children born in Malta with migrant parents. Prior to 2001, all children born in Malta were entitled to citizenship, with the law changed to apply to only those born before 1989 in 2001.[3] On June 8, 2017, he was elected Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion succeeding the Hon George Vella. Hon. Abela is the Chairperson of the COUNCIL OF MALTESE LIVING ABROAD (CMLA) We, the Editor, Contributors, Readers and Supporters of THE MALTESE E-NEWSLETTER - The Journal of the Maltese Diaspora congratulates the minister and wish him well in his new portfolio for the benefit of Maltese citizens living around the globe. 2 THE MALTESE E-NEWSLETTER 171 June 2017 To the Hon Consul for Malta in South Australia.. Dear Frank. I have been meaning to contact you for some time to congratulate you and to say how much we appreciate receiving your excellent Newsletter. Having visited your beautiful Malta in April, for the Sovereign Council meeting of the Order of Saint John, the wonderful stories and pictures in your Newsletter remind us of the superb experiences that we enjoyed whilst there. Unfortunately we were only able to stay for six days this time but we will certainly return for what I hope will be a much longer period. We found the Maltese people to be very friendly and helpful, the history most interesting (particularly as it was told through the ‘Malta Experience’) and the weather was perfect. I felt very privileged to be representing our Priory and those who attended with me were also very impressed. We hope that you and your wife may be able to join us again this year for our cocktail party to Celebrate the Siege of Malta on Friday 8th of September. You will receive an official invitation closer to the date. Once again my congratulations to all concerned on what is truly an excellent Newsletter. With my best wishes and kind regards. Prior Chev. David Wotton AM CJSJ, Adelaide, South Australia Dear Frank - I hope this finds you, your family and readers all well, as this has left me here in Malta. I've been here since May 4th (staying till Aug. 25th). I've been enjoying your most excellent publication which I receive from my friends Carmen Galea of Toronto and/or Dan Brock of London, Ontario. Frank you are to be highly commended in the extremely informative, interesting and well planned newsletter. Congratulations. I had heard of you previously from my mothers cousin Professor David Plowman (RIP) of Perth, David was a wonderful person, he often visited us in Toronto. He and his wife Cathy had been very supportive over the years in my research work of the Maltese in Canada (Toronto). My parents, from Sliema, Mary and Joseph Cumbo emigrated to Canada in 1951 on the ship "Nea Halles", my mother, sister Veronica (2 yrs.old ) and I (3yrs.old ) arrived in October, 1951. As was usually the case my father had arrived 6 months earlier in April, 1951. Although I've been in Canada (a great country) all these years, I still feel that it's in Malta were I really belong. Since 1968 I've been back over 50 times. When I'm in Malta I've been volunteering at the "Migrants Museum" in Valletta since 2000. Assisting them in sorting, etc. all of the documentation I've contributed over many years (from the time of Father Lawrence Attard). We now have a Maltese-Canadian Museum/Archives and Visitors Center in Toronto. In a separate e- mail I will send you information about it, in case you wish to publish information about it. Father Manuel Parnis, MSSP has made me the museum curator (I appointed Carmen Galea as my assistant). Should you wish any information about me, I believe if you type in my name some details may come up. Once again, congratulations, keep up the excellent work . Sahha Ghalissa, Sincerely yours, Richard S. Cumbo CAN SOMEONE, PLEASE, TELL ME WHY THE MALTESE GOVERNMENT TAKES OVER TWO YEARS TO PROCESS AND APPROVE THE MALTESE CITIZENSHIP TO MALTESE LIVING ABROAD WHILE THOSE WHO BUY THEIR CITIZENSHIP TAKE MUCH MUCH LESS? J. Portelli, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA I am interested in learning the Maltese language ‘online’. Is there a course that I can take? I live in the Australian outback and cannot access to Maltese classes. Please, inform me. Thanks, J. Caruana 3 THE MALTESE E-NEWSLETTER 171 June 2017 A day in the life of a Maltese farmer - Graziella Chetcuti There is no such thing as a "typical day" in a farmer's life, but on a spring Friday I followed the steps of a 48-year-old Maltese farmer, from early morning till sunset. Hoping to have a broader idea of what a day in the fields might entail. One thing I've learnt after just one day with Joe is that his average day is not "so average". In one day he slogged through a mountain of work: harvesting, ploughing, watering. You name it he did it. His father suffered a stroke and at 15 years of age, Joe had to leave school and work the fields full-time. He now has been farming for 38 years and is managing 25 fields in which he spends about 10 hours a day. He grows various types of vegetables and fruit, such as melons, strawberries, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots and onions. At 7am the sun was already beating down upon the valley, where the small village of Manikata overlooked the rest of the terraced plots. Joe had already been there for an hour to avoid as much as possible the blazing heat of the sun. He immediately handed me a pair of gloves and I knew it was time for me to roll up my sleeves. We first harvested the carrots. "In the old the old days we used to put them in bunches, but now we cut the leafs, wash them and sort them in boxes." We left the carrots in the sun to dry out so that in the evening they would be easier to wash. By 10:30 we had harvested 30 full boxes of carrots and decided to have a break. His wife Rita had prepared for us a traditional Maltese 'qoffa' filled with Maltese bread, tomatoes, ġbejniet (peppered cheese), and coffee. We then spent about 20 minutes chatting about the ins and outs of farming. We spoke about the developments of technology and how it has affected Maltese farmers. "It brought with it lots of benefits but also a hike in the workload," said Joe. Farmers expanded their farms and this led to mass production, which brought an increase in competition and lower prices in its wake. "With farming you work hard, hope for the best and prepare for the worse," said Joe. Farming can be very unpredictable he said, especially during winter, when the weather changes drastically in a matter of days. Farmers have to face other difficulties such as bacterial diseases and pest infestation. "It's hard when things don't go as planned because there's no better feeling when you get to see the final product healthy and up to its full potential. It's not a job, it's a way of living," said Joe. Joe is continuously thinking of what needs to be done and has to sacrifice a lot of family time especially in peak seasons. "Farming is sometimes underrated. We supply the most essential things for people, food and yet we are still considered to be the lowest class". I asked Joe how he thinks the future looks for Maltese farming. "I think there's not much of a future. The younger generation is focusing on school and farming is the last thing they think about." His father had wanted him to continue in his footsteps but now that he has his own children, he is the first to encourage them to study and find a professional job. "With our generation gone, I think farming will experience a huge step back". Imported produce is also competing with the local market. "People should buy local vegetables, it encourages Maltese farmers and they would be getting something fresh" said Joe. At about noon Joe decided to have a 'siesta' at his house just up the road. We met again at 4 o'clock and I found Joe covered in sweat and soil, after having just ploughed a field.